Dark hair turning reddish at the ends?

[diamond_storm]

Morning, all~

So, my hair is a very dark brown. I'm very partial to dark hair on myself. I have EXTREMELY dark eyebrows--they are pretty much jet black--and I even dye my bangs black sometimes just because I feel like my natural hair color doesn't match my eyebrows and the darker color looks nicer next to them. Anyway, I feel dark hair looks best with my complexion, and I'm typically happy with my hair color.

However, my hair is always lighter at the ends than it is at the root. It's still brown, but has a luminous, rusty red sheen to it in certain lights. If I hold the ends up to the roots, there is a definite color difference. It's always been this way, and while I imagine it has something to do with the ends being older and exposed to the elements longer, I'm certain that my hair doesn't have an extensive damage problem. I have very, very few split ends and have never used any lifting dyes on that hair. I may have used a non-lifting black hair dye at some point, but I don't believe that could possibly be the issue since my hair has literally had this same issue since I was a child (and obviously wasn't using any hair dyes).

I am also very aware of the damage UV can have on skin and hair, and as a result I do not spend extensive amounts of time in direct sunlight and I usually wear a hat when I'm outside. I would be surprised if the color was being bleached by the sun. I also don't heat style, I finger comb only, and generally take good care of my hair to minimize damage.

So, my questions:

Does anyone else have the same issue? I realize that it's not necessarily a "problem"; some people might enjoy the variation throughout their hair and I'm sure it could look very nice on some hair colors--my friend for example has very light blonde hair with platinum shades throughout--it's beautiful on her! I'm just not a fan of it on my own head :p

Does anyone know the cause of hair lightening at the ends?

Is there anything I can do (short of coloring my hair with a box dye) to lessen/prevent this from happening? I've hennaed before with good results, but I don't enjoy the red tones on my hair and it seems to emphasize them. I've also tried indigo, although I'm not too sure of the quality because of the place I bought it from. I know it didn't have a profound affect on my hair and didn't last long.

[parkmikii]

Walnut hull powder or henndigo I'd say :)
It's definitely linked with the sun exposure. My hair is light brown naturally and it was always lighter at the ends, now it's even more obvious as I use henna.

[diamond_storm]

Oops, that was supposed to be "effect", not "affect". ;)

[diamond_storm]

Walnut hull powder or henndigo I'd say :)
It's definitely linked with the sun exposure. My hair is light brown naturally and it was always lighter at the ends, now it's even more obvious as I use henna.

Just read about walnut hull powder. Sounds interesting! It seems a bit complicated to make. Do you have an experience with it?

Yes, that's what happened to me when I hennaed as well! It's a beautiful look but I'm striving for something less red. Maybe I should quit fighting genetics ;) haha!!

[Anje]

Very very normal -- I think it's just related to wear and tear and light exposure.

I suppose the radical approach would be to bun your hair and cover it when you're going to be out in the sun. However, I think what I'd suggest is to use a direct dye rather than a box dye, if you want to darken the ends up occasionally. I've been using Adore dyes a bit (funky colors, because that's how I am), and they've got a number of dark browns, blacks, and dark blues (http://www.idyemyhair.com/images/adore/swatches/adore-swatches.jpg) that would darken your hair without all the peroxide and ammonia and such. Similar dyes like Directions, Manic Panic, Special Effects, Punky, and so on would give equally good results. Meanwhile, Elumen and Pravana make no-peroxide dyes that are more permanent.

[diamond_storm]

I've been using Adore dyes a bit (funky colors, because that's how I am), and they've got a number of dark browns, blacks, and dark blues (http://www.idyemyhair.com/images/adore/swatches/adore-swatches.jpg) that would darken your hair without all the peroxide and ammonia and such.

Ooooh :bigeyes: I like those! I had a look at the ingredients list and it seems like a fairly agreeable thing to put on your hair which is important to me. Wish I could try some of the funky colors but my hair's too dark for that:cry::wink:

The dye I use for my bangs and have used on my length in the past is Bigen Permanent Powder. I've always been really happy with it, but I've heard that it's actually quite toxic and a lot of people have reported major issues. I've also heard that it's not as gentle on hair as Bigen claims it is. I've never had an issue, but I'm a bit hesitant to use it again because of all the reports:shrug:

[Anje]

Yeah, I think Bigen (and most standard box dyes and salon dyes for dark colors) contains PPD. The stuff is probably a miracle-substance for getting a dark stain, but it's prone to causing sudden and sometimes severe allergic reactions. I figure if you're just going darker with a color, the worst problem with the temp dyes is staining your bathtub.

ETA: One of the chief reasons I'm liking the Adore, in addition to the fact that they're one of the few brands with natural colors in the direct-dye format, is that they're pretty cheap. I was able to find it locally for something like $4.50 per 4oz bottle.

[parkmikii]

Just read about walnut hull powder. Sounds interesting! It seems a bit complicated to make. Do you have an experience with it?

Yes, that's what happened to me when I hennaed as well! It's a beautiful look but I'm striving for something less red. Maybe I should quit fighting genetics ;) haha!!

No experience with walnut hulls sadly as I really love copper hair and that's why I henna XD

[trolleypup]

Reducing UV exposure will help, but accumulated mechanical damage will inevitably lighten your ends. When I wore my hair down much more, my ends would be a dark rusty brown.

[yahirwaO.o]

Yep my hair is the same like yours. Dont be fooled by my siggy, I wish my color had a blue tint, but that's just the camera. Its actually very dark brown when exposed to light I can clearly see the red tints down the ends.

Im pretty ambivalent about. Its ok because those are my natural highlights, but im not the biggest fan either. In the past, I dyed it in all shades of black, and somehow after fading a bit those red tones came again and stronger.

Indigo is the way to go if u dont like it, I've just learned to embrace mine and also im lazy!!! LOL

[DeadlyUnicorn]

I have always had this even when my hair was a lot shorter. I really like it honestly. And I feel you on the eyebrows!! My hair seems to have gotten a tiny bit lighter and it seems even more noticeable to me now lol. I hope the tips from others can help you out. I don't know much about dying hair honestly. :)

[AutobotsAttack]

maybe the older ends of your hair, tend to get a bit lighter? Ive noticed that my longer lengths of hair are just a tad bit brighter than the more newer shorter lengths of hair. If it isn't affecting the health of your hair I wouldn't worry about it too much :)

[diamond_storm]

I appreciate everyone's input:o

It's probably because I wear my hair down most of the time since it's too thick/not long enough yet for bunning, so my ends are typically exposed. Meh, guess I'll just have to live with it. It's not so bad anyway.
I decided to henna this weekend, and although that of course increased the reddish tint, I'm actually kind of in love with it now:crush:

[meteor]

That lightening due to photo-damage of UV rays and daily wear and tear happens over the years even on hair that is always kept bunned. It's a lot more pronounced if one regularly leaves hair out in the sun, of course.

You could try temporary deposit-only dyes or herbal temporary dyes as a low-commitment, non-damaging solution or henna/indigo if you are 100% sure you want a permanent one.

[Daydreamer.]

Do you swim? Sometimes chlorine or salt water can make hair reddish.

[stelz]

I read an article once that said no one knew what color wooly mammoths really were. The ones they found preserved in ice look reddish, but hair fades the older it gets. Even covered in ice and snow for centuries, with no sunlight, salt water, etc. The wooly mammoths may have been black or dark brown.

UV does lighten hair, like that wonderful beachy sunburst blonde you see on some people, but it's not the sole cause. Some lightening is just unavoidable.

[mermaid lullaby]

Being a dark haired, I haven't figured out how to prevent this either. On me, it's starting to get an auburn color at the ends. I really embraced it because I can't don't anything about it, it's pretty anyway.

[missrandie]

I've seen this occurrence in our horses too. To me, it's one of those natural things.

If you want to prevent it to some extent, be sure to tuck your ends up in a bun daily. That will prevent some of the color change

[lapushka]

It's perfectly normal for hair to have shifts in color, usually from root to tip, from dark to light. That's how you can tell someone's hair isn't dyed. Dye is the only thing that is fairly uniform (on most people).

[stelz]

I've seen this occurrence in our horses too. To me, it's one of those natural things.

If you want to prevent it to some extent, be sure to tuck your ends up in a bun daily. That will prevent some of the color change

People with black Chow dogs are advised to keep them indoors, too. If you've ever seen one that lived outdoors, you may have seen the faded reddish patches on them. Chow people call this "rusting". But lots of other black dogs can live outdoors without this effect. So I'm sure some hair types are more susceptible.

My own hair is almost black at the canopy, fading to brown. When bright sunlight hits it, it reflects a great deal, looks very red, and several shades lighter. It does fade the further down it goes. People who are used to seeing me indoors, who run into me outside for the very first time, always say "I thought you had black hair."

The photos here are showing my hair color processed (growing out burgundy box dye and using Manic Panic Vampire Red mixed in my conditioner as a kind of toner, since the box dye eventually faded to orange.) It's fairly close to the real color but not exactly.

[LateRose]

My hair does this, but I happen to like it! My ends haven't seen the sun for 12 years, since I always wear a bun. I have really dark hair and I haven't noticed any change in the ends since I started binning it, so I'm more inclined to the mechanical wear theory.

[lapushka]

My hair does this, but I happen to like it! My ends haven't seen the sun for 12 years, since I always wear a bun. I have really dark hair and I haven't noticed any change in the ends since I started binning it, so I'm more inclined to the mechanical wear theory.

Yes but that could also be because the ends are always covered due to the bunning, not open to discoloration from sunshine etc. ;)

[CurlyCap]

Yeah, my hair starts to do this at about hip. I really don't like it because my hair is near black and the ends head towards dark brown or rust.

Last year I dyed my hair with special effects purple, figuring it would look pretty much black except for my grays. It did. But it was such a mess dealing with the constantly released dye over the next few months that I'll never go that way again.

As the purple I chose was very very staining, my ends now look black, but I have no idea what I'll do next go round.

[LateRose]

Yes but that could also be because the ends are always covered due to the bunning, not open to discoloration from sunshine etc. ;)
I'm sorry, I wasn't very clear! Even with the ends covered, they are still much lighter and more red. I thought it would lessen or go away, but that did not happen for me. And I have cut off the ends frequently enough that I am sure it isn't just 14-year-old sun bleaching. I would guess the ends are less than 3 years old?